Breeding Issues

by The Ruff Pusher

Momon the Dark Hero encounters Zesshi Zetsumei. mature content/smut

7. Chapter 7

Note: This story is a work of fiction. It has many content of adult nature. If you do not want to read such content, please close your browser window or press the convenient back button.

This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.

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The whole thing felt much like an elopement, though he didn't exactly know how that kind of thing usually went. All Ainz had going for it was the word itself and a vague meaning in his mind, which didn't exactly tell him any exact details for how exactly he should go about with "eloping".

Still, what really mattered were the facts, and it ran like this. Tonight, at a time close to dawn, Ainz was standing right outside Neia Baraja's current apartments, at a certain city in the newly liberated Holy Kingdom. Around him, invisible and poised to protect him, were various minions from Nazarick. They all formed a sort of honor guard—for him, and for the new mother who was about to join them.

Ainz paced on the ground, filled with a slight impatience. After the reassurances he had gained over the past week from his various lovers, he was now more than ready to consummate another union with a prospective mother. He would be able to enjoy this luscious fruit solely for himself, getting to know them intimately in mind and most especially the body. He would then sow the seeds within them, where he hoped they would take root. But most of all, he was impatient for the fact of owning, for binding this woman completely to himself without the need for magic or other trickery.

He heard noises coming from the building in front of him. He sensed the minions tense, though he remained unfazed. The door right in front of him opened, whereupon the harried, cloaked form of Neia Baraja came stumbling out, dragging behind her a large, bulky pack. The fat bag caught against the doorframe, causing the poor woman to stumble to the ground, whereupon Ainz swiftly darted forward to scoop her delicately into his arms.

"Whoops! That was dangerous."

"Ah… Haah… That was really dangerous!" Neia exclaimed, in a loud whisper, as she sagged against his body. He helped her back on her knees. Her face was practically glowing as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry about this… I just saw you from the window and couldn't help myself! I just dragged this thing down the stairs making a huge ruckus…"

Ainz chuckled. "I'm just glad to see you're alright."

"Ainz-sama…" Neia said, her eyes glimmering. She threw her arms around him, and squeezed as much as she could, though it was rather like trying to embrace a boulder. He reciprocated, though he took care to hold back so his larger arms wouldn't just overwhelm her tinier body. They then stared at each other for a long moment before Ainz cleared his throat.

"So, is that everything you're bringing with you?"

Neia turned around, still clinging to his body. "… Yes. That's everything. All the mementos, my old clothes, some new clothes… And some other odds and ends. I don't know… I just grabbed whatever was in my drawers and stuck them inside…. I hope it's no trouble."

"Not at all," Ainz replied smoothly. He went forward and scooped up the bag deftly onto his shoulder. For his level, this thing was no effort to carry, a fact that Neia apparently saw with much awe. "Well, I hope you don't mind if I send this forward to our home."

"Yeah, I don't mind… but why? Aren't we going there already?"

He smiled down at her. "Well, Neia, there're certain places I'd like to take you first." At her puzzled look, he continued in a huskier voice, "Where we can get to know each other much better." His hand drifted over her hips.

Neia made a small squeak, a cute blush forming on her face. "I—I see…"

"Your things will be waiting for you at your new home," Ainz said. "So have no fear on that account. Though now that I think about it, your belongings aren't the only thing you'll need to set aside."

She tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean, my lord?"

"I'm talking about you," he said gently. "Are you okay with this? Are you prepared? Once you come with me, there's no turning back. If there's anything more you need to do, or if you need more time…"

"No." Her response was quick and firm. "I've already said my goodbyes. I've already done all that I can for the Kingdom. With father dead, I…" she shuddered, then shook her head. "Like I said before, I'm ready, Ainz-sama. I want to join you. I want to…" Here she blushed. "I want to b-be with you… If you'll have this unworthy self."

"Hush, don't say that," Ainz said chidingly. "You're more than perfect for me." He tipped her chin upward, then took her lips in a deep, soulful kiss. Her lips trembled anxiously against his. When their kiss ended, Neia's knees were once again unsteady as if she were straining against a mighty weight.

"Ainz-sama…" she said, her eyes misting with tears.

"Now, if there's nothing more," he said. "Then let us go… to the first of our many days together!"

He opened a Gate, and placed her belongings back in Nazarick. A servant received it and, as per the instructions made ready to place it in Neia's rooms. Then he opened another Gate, and carried Neia princess-style through the threshold.

There, upon a hilltop of a distant land, they made love under the light of the emerging sunrise on the horizon, their bodies melting passionately together in carnal bliss.

---

It was difficult to tell night from day when one was deep inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Were it not for the time pieces generally gifted to her by her "master", Ainz Ooal Gown, Clementine would have thought it quite similar to being trapped in a lightless oubliette, where one could only trust one's own body rhythm to sense the passage of time—a fact that became harder as time passed. In fact, she even had a system for it using her mind, having been in many such places in the past.

Luckily, she was not here as a prisoner, but as an honored guest. As such, she woke up to the sound of the infernal beating pounding against her ears with loathsome vigor, a fact she intended to resolve with utmost violence. But the craft of one such as Ainz Ooal Gown was superior to even her human hands, which meant that all she could do against the offending timepiece was to shut it off using a button behind it, silencing its noisome din. She stared at it with the venom of one who was suited to eliminating one's problems with a slip of the dagger—and was then frustrated by its apparent invincibility.

With a sigh, Clementine slipped her naked body free from the covers and sat on the side of the bed. She yawned and stretched, feeling the familiar weight of her twins pulling down at her. Her once toned abdomen was now obviously distended by the presence of the brats within her, a situation she honestly never expected.

She looked down and tapped thoughtfully at the smooth surface of her belly. She reckoned there had been many an unborn brat she had sent to the underworld after all the times she'd been unlucky; so it felt rather odd to see herself carrying these, now over halfway into her pregnancy, as the healers estimated it; fully ready to birth them at the end. Thinking of these two made her think of their father, and there her thoughts stopped, unwilling to head into uncharted territory.

"Get it together, idiot," she muttered to herself, as she rose to her feet. She took a few minutes to stretch her body, going through a few exercise motions while being careful not to upset the brats. At her state she was in no condition to fight, no matter how much she maintained her regimen, but at least she wouldn't be completely helpless. Still, with her body in such condition it became a bit more difficult to maintain even the simplest form, a fact exacerbated by the other change in her body.

"Gods I hate these fucking things…!" She bit her lip and went to the mirror, where she stared ruefully at her breasts. As with the rest of her body, they too had been changed much by the pregnancy. They had grown thick and pear-shaped, hanging from her chest like ripe fruits. According to the healers, it was just a normal part of the cycle, just as what was happening to Zesshi Zetsumei and her swollen melons. That didn't stop the breasts from being a hindrance during exercises, as she now had to contend with their weight as well as her twins.

"Shit!" she muttered. Nothing she could do now. With her exercises done, she quickly donned her clothes. She was content to run around naked, like how she slept, but apparently that wasn't allowed in these parts. So she made do, though it was still as skimpy and revealing as her regular clothes. If that Ainz found it too much a temptation or something, then that was on him. More sex wasn't bad, too.

"Listen to yourself," she muttered. "Only thinking about sex, sex, sex all the time. You're just some godsdamned whore now. You're Clementine, and you will survive this, no matter what." She glared at her reflection, hoping the pep talk would stick.

She shook her head and left her room, ambling her way towards the familiar environs of the Mother's Hall.

If there was one thing she definitely liked about being stuck in this Nazarick place, it was the fact that she was essentially being treated much like royalty in here. Nearly everything she asked for would be provided, with extra servings on top. If she wanted a massage for any part of her body she could get it. She could request any food at any time of day from the numerous chefs on duty. It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night, or if she wanted to gorge on several more portions in breakfast—what she asked for, she got.

She could ask any of the servants to carry her around on a palanquin, as long as one overlooked their common monstrous natures. They would bear here anywhere on this "floor", and to other floors if she had special permission from Ainz. She could even order the palanquin bearers to just sit there carrying her for a long while, and they would perform their duties without complaint.

Everything she wore would be washed and pressed in just under an hour if she wanted it. She even had access to the wardrobe at Nazarick, though the selection was rather sparse in variety—there were mostly maid uniforms and other bizarre, exotic costumes there, like the strips of cloth named by Ainz as a "fundoshi". It was said by the maids that the "Supreme Beings" had left them there and as such were considered sacred; Ainz giving them access was akin to acknowledging that the mothers were free to touch and use such hallowed objects. Still, that didn't stop the Holy Bitch Queen Calca from petitioning Ainz to send his minions on a shopping spree for other clothes, along with, as the rumors said it, kidnapping a few expert tailors here and there.

Furthermore, Clementine could even request any of the maids to service her with their bodies if she wanted a quick release, though this was limited to certain places like her own room. The Mother's Hall was considered "sacred ground" or whatever they wanted to call it, and so getting all debauched was practically forbidden there—unless Ainz wanted it.

As she understood it, if the Master wanted to fuck you in the Mother's Hall, his will superseded all other rules. She'd heard that Zesshi and Keeno had experienced something like this, though neither one made much comment on it. And that was very telling because Zesshi was a notorious braggart whenever it came to Ainz.

A small part of Clementine even wanted Ainz to do that to her. Though that was definitely not the reason for her asking for several copies to be delivered to her rooms so she could wear it all the time. Definitely not.

"Welcome, Clementine-sama," the servants said, when she arrived at the Mother's Hall. She paid them no mind and sauntered on in. Her nose caught the delectable scent of freshly cooked breakfast, which made her stomach burn even more. They were all laid out on a long table at the corner of the Hall. She took a quick glance and saw that there was no one else inside the Hall; apparently, she was the first one here. She licked her lips and went towards that table.

Years of experience with abject hunger had taught her never to turn down a meal, especially if it was given freely and without any strings attached. In this case, the strings were of little consequence to her, attached as they were to the hand of a man she respected, even grudgingly. That she allowed him free use of her pussy and womb for his own desires was nothing to her as well; at the very least the sex was fucking great and crazy. The motherhood thing was slightly more complicated, but there was a first time for everything.

She grabbed a plate and started heaping loads of the different food on display on top. It was hard to believe, but in the first few days since she had been accepted as a "mother", the food here in Nazarick had been pretty bland and unappealing. Oh, she could swallow it down until she was full, but it was like chewing on oatmeal pilfered from an army barracks: it got your belly full, but your mouth tasted like sand for days.

She'd been the first to complain about it directly to Ainz. The man had looked surprised, and indeed she had felt like she had crossed a line somewhere. Fortunately, nothing had happened, and the days had passed without incident. Then, some time later, the food had become markedly improved, so much so that Clementine no longer had any complaints about it. It was as if they had abducted some expert chefs from outside to help prepare meals.

Knowing how Nazarick operated, that might really be the case.

When she was satisfied with her serving, she went over to one of the luxurious chairs to start digging in. They were allowed to use the various cushions and divans to eat—even on the plush carpets. Still, she decided that those were too slovenly for even her—those were better reserved for lounging with a plate of fruits and biscuits on hand than a proper meal. The freshly made food instantly made her body warm up, and she ate with much gusto. All for herself, and for the brats, of course.

She was already halfway into her meal when the first other mother showed up. To her displeasure, it was the one person she was most uncomfortable with in this damned tomb—Lupusregina Beta. Ever since her incarceration by Ainz Ooal Gown, she had been the one face she was more accustomed to seeing. One would be correct in assuming that their respective personalities would have made it easy for them to get along.

But even after going all the way with Ainz—even doing so together with Lupusregina in the first place—she still found the other woman a very unbearable experience.

Common instinct was to duck away at first sight of those reddish braids. Even when pregnant, Clementine still found a way to manage it. But in here, in the middle of the Mother's Hall, while she was still halfway through her breakfast, there was little means of escape, and so she was effectively cornered.

"Yahoo, Clementine, su~! Good ta see ya again!" There it was. That damned voice. Clementine glowered as the pregnant bitch came skipping towards her. She noted that she had skipped the food table entirely—as if she was far more delectable a dish than anything on that table.

"Huh." She said nothing and continued to chew on her meal. The way the maid carried on reminded Clementine of an excitable pet dog. Unfortunately, this "dog" did not have a neck she could easily snap.

"What's with the stupid look on your face, su~ Oh, are you really actually enjoying your food? That's so cool!"

Clementine swallowed. "What do you want?" she asked brusquely.

"I'm just saying "yahallo" to you, Clementine su~! It's been a while since we've talked together like this, huh?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Clementine said, pointing the three ends of a fork at her. "Just yesterday you and I were together with Ainz!" Thanks to their growing numbers, it became necessary to parcel out the orgies into more manageable chunks of people who would be involved. While a grand bacchanalia wasn't out of the question, Ainz's stated reasoning was that he had to become a bit more efficient with regards to -time. As such, every one of the wives had to rotate out time and again in between three set groups, each meticulously scheduled for an orgy with Ainz on many future dates.

Yesterday, she had been with Lupusregina here, along with Yuri Alpha, Kelart and Keeno.

She hated to point out a reminder as lewd as that but in this case, this was definitely warranted.

"Oh, that… Well, it's true that we 'talked' a lot, but was that really a conversation, su~? Most of the time we just ended up praising Ainz-sama. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that's not really 'talking' Clementine su~"

"It's more like 'fucking'. Yes I know," Clementine said, taking another spoonful. "I'm also saying we just met, so saying 'long time no see' is really fucking stupid."

"Aiya… Why so grumpy, Clementine su~ You weren't this irritable yesterday. Or all those other days. In my opinion, you looked far better with that dumb whorish look on your face, su~"

Clementine sighed. While she wouldn't get too riled up by her description as a whore (it was true to some extent) hearing it from some dumb bitch was especially tiresome.

Especially from someone who had been punished by Ainz so publicly.

It was a memory she would probably never forget. Lupusregina Beta had offended Ainz for some reason she did not know. Suffice to say that Ainz was especially angry, and so an appropriate punishment was meted out.

Since the woman was pregnant already, though, it wasn't as extreme as what he'd made that Albedo and Shalltear Bloodfallen do. Clementine remembered that series of memories from earlier, and it was indeed not something a pregnant woman should endure.

And so, Ainz commanded that for a certain period of time she was allowed to do nothing during the orgies but clean up everyone's used pussies after Ainz was done. She would receive no attention from Ainz in any way, and the others were forbidden from giving her anything but the slightest of glances. She would never ever forget the many times she had allowed the maid to lick her pussy clean, sometimes to a small accompanying orgasm, as she lay under the haze of a post-Ainz pounding.

It was hard to tell if the punishment had been effective—she still acted much the same way before and after it.

"So anyway," Lupusregina said cheerfully. "What's up? Anything new?"

"Did you come here just to gossip?" Clementine asked as she sipped a cup of milk. It tasted like it was fresh from a cow's tits, even if she knew regular farm cows never made milk this thick and rich. Again she wondered where Nazarick got these.

"Well, have you got anything?" Lupus asked, with a devious-looking smile.

"I already told you, I don't care about any of that crap." Well, she did know things, but she wasn't about to tell Lupus. She couldn't trust anyone here in Nazarick, not even those who came from outside like Zesshi. "If you've got anything to share, then please, go ahead. I ain't stopping you." It was also in her best interest to ensure someone else shared their information with her, instead of the other way around.

Just then, Clementine spotted another person entering the Mother's Hall. It was that other maid, Yuri Alpha, whom she'd last seen yesterday buried in between Lupus and Kelart. The bespectacled maid seemed overly serious to a fault and was devoted to her duties, though possessed a submissive streak whenever it came to Ainz. Clementine had no problems with her to an extent; and mostly because they never went out of the way to interact with each other. To her, Yuri was just another wife.

"Good morning to you both," Yuri said politely with a slight bow. "Are you not eating, Lupus?"

"Nah. I'm anticipating a bigger meal when I get out," Lupus said.

"When you get… out…?" Something in Yuri's face twitched. She placed her hands on her hips. "Are you thinking of going out—again?"

"Oh shi—" Lupus slapped her hands on her lips, eyes widening. She turned on her seat to look at the other maid. "Oh—ohhhh no, sister! I didn't mean anything by that! No no, certainly not!"

"Honestly Lupusregina, do you really want to be punished by Ainz-sama again?"

Clementine smirked as the dressing down continued. Now she was thankful for the bespectacled maid's presence, as it stifled Lupusregina handily like clouds at night when darkness was needed.

"I'm not planning anything, honest!" Lupusregina said, and made a nervous sort of laugh. She turned back to her. "Hey, back me up here, Clementine! We were just talking about all sorts of rumors right?"

"What?" Clementine said, with brow raised. "We weren't talking about anything!" At her disappointed look, she glanced at Yuri. "You only came to talk about yesterday! You honestly think I wanna do that?"

"Yesterday?" Yuri mumbled. Then her eyes widened. "Oh!" A blush formed on her pale cheeks. She cleared her throat. "Well, Clementine-sama is right, Lupusregina Beta," she said in a sterner voice. "Please do stop bothering others with excessive… lewdness…"

Clementine certainly raised an eyebrow to that. Though Yuri Alpha sounded so much like some shy, reticent maid who could easily blush at any sort of sexual innuendo, she knew well how her kinkiness was right up there with Shalltear Bloodfallen and Zesshi Zetsumei. If Clementine were less cynical she'd have adored such a contrast.

Lupusregina mouthed a silent "thank you" to her as Yuri approached. Clementine shook her head. She didn't know if the bitch realized, but what she did was just a slight tactic—intended to redirect the flow of their previous conversation. She was eager to learn information from the maid, but if she could do it without offering anything in return, she was all the better for it.

She cleared her throat. "So anyway, let's get back on topic. You said something about a rumor you heard?" she said loudly, fully intending for Yuri Alpha to hear. She guessed that the bespectacled woman was not the sort to scheme, though if there was anything that made her a danger it was her complete loyalty to Ainz. Any hint of insubordination was grounds for a quick report, as had been the case when she had heard of Lupusregina's little adventure outside Nazarick.

Lupusregina grunted. "Well… let's see…" She blinked. "Oh, right, su~ I heard from Mare-sama that the predictions were correct. That village is booming, with loads and loads of new babies! Even the dwarves are getting busy too! Pretty soon we'll be having an actual town on our hands, though that's according to what Demiurge-sama said. Something about… population?"

"Are you sure you didn't learn this heading down to the village yourself?" she asked. Lupusregina's eyes flashed, as did Yuri's, though each for completely different reasons. Clementine shrugged and did not elaborate, and continued to eat.

"So what are you doing here, sister?" Lupusregina said. "Come to eat?"

"I still have some duties as you well know. My condition isn't too advanced yet, like you two," Yuri said, sighing. "That being said, I do feel the need for a little break. I've been assigned to oversee the rest of Neia-sama's requests."

"Oh, that little girl," Lupus said, a little cruelly. "If she weren't so close to Ainz-sama I'd definitely have something to say to her, su~"

"Please don't," Yuri said. "Do you want Ainz-sama to punish you?"

"What do you think, Clementine?" Lupus said, turning to her. "That girl's being too ridiculous right?"

It had been three weeks since the woman named Neia Baraja had come and joined their number. Since then she had not yet participated in any orgies, despite the fact that a place had already been assigned to her in the group rotation.

The little bitch had gotten pregnant quickly, which had made Ainz extra pleased. As such, it made overlooking her other quirks rather problematic, especially for the maids.

Clementine silently considered her own thoughts on the woman. A quick glance had told her Neia was way out of her league, which meant in turn that she was completely blown away by the rest of them. It was difficult to see what Ainz saw in her, though to Clementine it was too obvious that if she titillated his prick enough that was more than enough reason to keep her pussy around.

That now failed to account for the woman's apparent need for so many things that had the Nazarick servants scurrying to fulfill them. At first it had been little things, bits and objects to decorate her room, or a few pieces of clothing here and there. That wasn't too unreasonable, as the Holy Bitch Calca and Zesshi were pretty much doing the exact same thing, mostly to redecorate their small rooms to their taste.

Then the requests not only became even more frequent, they became harder to fulfill. The homunculi maids had to petition Albedo or Demiurge, who then had to ask Ainz what exactly the woman meant by this or that object. In her mind's eye, Neia Baraja was setting herself up as some sort of prized mistress—a queen set above even the Holy Bitch (whom she had even met!). And while Clementine didn't care much for that sort of thing, she did feel something unfathomable and strange at the thought of the woman attempting to monopolize Ainz.

She snorted to herself. Probably some basic bitch instinct. Like recognizes like and all that. Nothing more.

"What did she ask for this time?" Clementine presently said.

"She has requested something called a… Freej? Fritch? I do not have the knowledge, and would thus need to forward this request to Albedo-sama," Yuri said.

"Man, that's such a pain, right?" Lupus said, stretching her body out on the table. Clementine swiftly took her plate aside before the maid could knock it off carelessly.

"She's just adjusting to her new circumstances," Yuri explained. "Much as the rest of us. And it is ever important to Nazarick's well-being to safeguard all the mothers that Ainz-sama has chosen. You would do well to remember that, Lupusregina Beta, even if you've been honored as a mother yourself."

"Yeah I got iiiit alreadyyy…" Lupus said lazily.

Clementine flaked some hardened jam from her crispy toast. "Well, look at it this way. That Neia's not as annoying as that other maid I keep hearing about. And it's even worse—she's not even a mother."

"You're talking about Tsuareninya," Yuri said. Lupusregina cackled.

"I keep hearing about her too, but in the grand scheme of things, she ain't really that important," she said.

Clementine could offer nothing else than that; as she didn't really know that other maid really well other than the basic facts. She knew she was an outsider, just like her, who had been rescued by Ainz. Unlike their situation, she hadn't been added to the group of mothers. More surprisingly, she had been paired off with that Sebas she'd only seen once or twice, an old-looking sort of fellow dressed like a butler.

The news swirling around that girl revolved around the "scandal" she was bringing to Nazarick, especially while she was performing her duties as a maid of Nazarick. The woman was so obsessed with the old man she loved that she was on the verge of petitioning Ainz for a vacation. That word seemed to be as close to a taboo for the locals, which was why any news of her were being ruthlessly suppressed.

Some of the other mothers even expressed annoyance at the woman, as she was clearly trying to one-up them as a mother. Clementine couldn't really see the meaning, unless this Tsuare was trying to compete with them directly? But Ainz was the literal boss of the place, why would she want to fight him on some strange terms? It just didn't make sense.

The image that was more prevalent in her mind was that of a sex-addicted woman who was only wanting more vacation hours to screw her man blind. And that was a sentiment that even Clementine could sympathize with. Not that she was sex-addicted herself, no. Certainly not.

Yuri shook her head. "One of these days, Ainz-sama is going to catch wind of this."

"It's only a matter of time," Lupus said snidely. She shrugged and turned back to Clementine. "So anyway, back to what we were discussing, Clementine. Have you got anything to share?"

You fucking bitch, Clementine thought. Was she still keeping on about that? She was so persistent, annoyingly so.

"What're you talking about?" Yuri asked.

"It's girls' gossip, sister!" Lupus proclaimed. "You wanna join in? In that case, have you got anything to share?"

"Share? Well I…" Yuri looked away, before sighing. "I don't really have the time or the inclination to get into this sort of thing, Lupusregina, as you well know. But…"

"But?" Lupus repeated, turning her attention back to the other maid. "You mean there is something on your mind after all?"

"Lupusregina, this isn't some frivolous gossipmongering," Yuri said, adjusting her glasses imperiously. "This is important information to be gathered and disseminated through the proper channels. Its purpose, as Ainz-sama said, is to make ourselves aware of the world outside Nazarick, so we may always be prepared for any situation."

"Fine, fine, I get it, su~" Lupus said, with a shrug. "So?"

"Well…" Yuri Alpha frowned and tapped her chin. "I assume you both know of the war between the Theocracy and that Elven Kingdom?"

"Oh, it's that kind of rumor? Blah," Lupusregina said, dipping her head onto the table. It appeared that was not the sort of gossip she wanted to hear. On the other hand, Clementine was curious, as someone who hailed from the Slaine Theocracy and thus had some familiarity with the subject.

"I'm familiar with it," Clementine said. "Last I heard from Zesshi, it was still a stalemate, right? Did something change?"

Yuri Alpha looked pleased that there was at least someone in the room who took her words seriously. "Yes. At first, the elven side had some sort of breakthrough. They were able to breach the front lines and put their enemies in a bad position."

"Right, I heard about that."

"So now it appears that in retaliation, the Slaine Theocracy have unleashed one of their so-called 'scriptures'. I'm given to understand that this new group is more effective to their side? I am not sure. But we have been asked to take note of the development. If there is a change in the situation, then you can be sure that Ainz-sama will get involved in some way or another."

"I see…" Clementine said, frowning in thought. "Who did you hear this from?"

"Keeno-sama," Yuri replied.

"Hum…" Naturally, Keeno would have her sources as well. But if this intelligence was correct, then the Theocracy was no longer willing to play any sort of game. They were aiming to completely subjugate the enemy.

Which meant that it was entirely possible that the Holocaust Scripture would now be involved. She smirked to herself. It would be interesting to watch how the war would unfold from now on. Those fuckers were almost never let out of their leash. It was somewhat of a given that they would triumph, and yet the elves might just pull out another trick that would even the odds. In either case, that would still end up on glorious bloodshed over all.

"Oh? Why are you smiling, Clementine?" Lupus said.

Clementine snapped out of her reverie to glare at the maid. "None of your business."

"Well I can make a guess…" Lupus said, smiling widely. "It's Ainz-sama isn't it."

"What?" Clementine's frown deepened. "The hell gives you that idea?"

"Oh, there's no need to be so coy about it, su~," Lupus said, still with that same stupid smirk on her face. "It's something the rest of us feel too. Right, sister?"

"Eh? Well… I mean… w-why would you ask that of me?" Yuri said, stumbling over her words.

"Heheheee… you're blushing! It's pretty obvious, su~ If we're not thinking of anything else, you can be damned sure we're only thinking about Ainz-sama! Especially after yesterday… You still remember, right sister?"

Yuri huffed. "Wh-what on earth are you talking about?"

"Oooh, no need to pretend, su~! We were both there!" Lupus cleared her throat, and deepened her voice in a farcical facsimile of Ainz's own voice. "Yuri, are you okay with this? I don't want to hurt you."

Lupus turned to the other side, and mimicked the look of a pleading maiden. "Oh, yes, please, Ainz-sama! Give it to me! Punish my tight, wicked asshole! Stuff your meaty cock inside my anus until—"

"Waaah! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Yuri shouted, practically seizing Lupus by her ear headdress. "Stop it with that now! I'm not joking!"

Clementine allowed herself a small chuckle. She lifted the cup of milk to her lips and was just about to take a sip when Lupusregina made some peculiar sounds with her lips.

*Smack!* *Slurp!* *Smack!*

Clementine's hand shook, almost shoving the liquid up her nose. The sounds she made was digging up some very recent memories. It was enough to make even her pussy start leaking fluid; and her right breast tingled, as if something invisible was sucking on it.

It was only just yesterday, during their appointed orgy.

She was lying on the floor, her mind lifted up into the hazy funk that usually followed a marathon of mating. She'd perhaps gotten four rounds with Ainz already. The sigil on her crotch glowed lewdly on her skin, proof of her submission.

This was the fifth. This time he was a lot tamer, gentler. They moved together like he was sweetly making love to her. Her swollen belly moved and swayed. She shuddered as every last one of Ainz's thrusts hit home, knocking on the twins' door.

She panted and whined. His fucking wasn't the only thing making her curl her toes. Right beside her were the other two: Yuri Alpha and Lupusregina. They too bore love-drunk expressions. Yuri's hair was disheveled, like a wet mop of black sticking to her head. Lupus' braids were just as before—the Master used those like reins when he was pumping into her full stop.

The two of them lay on either side of her, pressing against her body from both sides. What was making Clementine extra tingly was the fact that each of their mouths had captured a single nipple.

*Slurp!* *Smack!* *Slurp!*

Each of their heated suckling drew the milk from her engorged nipples, making her whole body shiver from the sensation of being constantly drained.

"Hmph… Slrpphh…" Yuri Alpha was a dutiful sucker, extracting milk from her nipples at a constant rhythm. She seemed to be sucking her a great deal more.

"Hmmmph… Smack! Tasty… You're so tasty… hrmpphhh… Clementine… pfft…" Lupusregina was a lot messier, greedily sucking and making her sucking sound obnoxious. Milk constantly leaked from the corner of her lips.

Each delivered her a certain pleasure that added to the feeling of Ainz in her cunt.

Later, she would reciprocate, as Ainz requested. She would suckle on Keeno's and Lupusregina's tits, getting a taste of their mother's milk.

She shook her head, as if she could forcefully blow those memories away. It was hard to believe that it was only just yesterday that they'd been sampling each other's tits as if they were themselves children. It was sort of humiliating—but when she was on the receiver's end it was a whole lot arousing, for reasons she couldn't really explain.

At any other time, she would have stayed to try to needle more information out of Yuri Alpha. But Lupusregina was still there doing her thing, which made any and all conversations an arduous trial of endurance. If she discovered the state of her body, there'd be no end to her teasing.

Since she'd all but completed her breakfast, it was easier to explain her imminent departure.

"Eh? Where are you off to, Clementine su~?" She tried not to focus too much on the movement of her lips, to prevent herself from recalling the way they enveloped her darkened nipple.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep at my room," she replied smoothly, making herself look busy with her hands by placing plates here and there. "I'll leave you kids to it."

"Wait! Don't go! Please protect me su~!"

"Get back here, Lupusregina! Even if you're pregnant, that doesn't mean I can't and won't discipline you!"

"Gyaaah!"

Sighing to herself, Clementine slipped out from the Mother's Hall without a backward glance, carrying herself with a certain fluid grace even with a belly full of food and two brats,

---

Her flight from the Mother's Hall was not just an escape from Lupusregina's presence. It was also a tactical retreat from the strange feeling bubbling up in her stomach that had nothing to do with her breakfast. It had appeared right there in her gut like some bothersome parasite when she heard Lupus go on and on about their devotion to the "Master". It had agitated her so much that she felt like the twins were making her body go haywire, which necessitated going on a walk to try to fix her mind.

She could spend all her life here in Nazarick and she'd never ever understand the exact nature of their loyalty to Ainz. It was as if they had sprung, fully-formed, from the earth to give obeisance to that creature, completely suborning their loyalty to him.

It all seemed like a cult, somehow, and even the outsiders weren't immune to it. Zesshi Zetsumei was most apparent in her devotion to the "Master", though it was pretty obvious she'd already had a lot of nonsense in her head even from her time as a stooge of the Theocracy.

Calca and Kelart had been literally raised from the dead by Ainz, so it was easy to see that they had some sort of magically bound loyalty to him, even if it didn't seem obvious at first glance.

But there was Keeno, and she didn't seem the sort of person to give herself completely to this sort of man. That was unless she actually was attracted to him in a far greater sense than expected. It would take a supreme amount of devotion for that one to stick to Ainz despite everything she was seeing here in the Tomb, and this very situation surrounding them. Clementine suspected it might even involve the dreaded "L" word, but that didn't make sense. Why would she fall in love with that guy?

To a lesser extent, Neia Baraja also exhibited something of this. Though it remained to be seen whether or not her stubborn reluctance to engage completely with Nazarick spoke of a certain haughtiness, or if it was some sort of fear. She seemed a sensible enough sort, and nothing quite explained how she was so attached to that son of a bitch.

In this den of insanity, it appeared she was the only one who still had her wits about her. Well, it was hard for her to definitively claim that when she was carrying two of his kids right inside her swelling belly, but she was fairly confident in her own self-reflection. None of this rich and pampered lifestyle would ever let her forget her own true self, and of her own firm conviction of being an independent, free-roaming spirit. She could bear him a whole litter of brats and nothing would ever, ever change that.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the large shadow falling over her until she quite literally bumped into its owner.

"Whoa!"

Battle instincts kicked in for a few seconds, driving up her adrenaline into overdrive. Moments later, she was able to relax after seeing it wasn't anything dangerous.

"MY. APOLOGIES. LADY. CLEMENTINE," came the booming voice of Cocytus, whose massive size easily dwarfed her in the tiny corridor.

He was like a creature sculpted from crystal and animated to serve. His edges looked so sharp and menacing that she could almost imagine cutting herself easily just by touching him. His beady, multiple eyes generated such an eerie feeling, as if she was alone walking in the dark surrounded by the gaze of so many faceless, unseen fiends.

She had encountered plenty of mysterious creatures in her travels, including an actual giant, but never before had she been unnerved through sheer instinct. Unlike most in Nazarick, Cocytus felt to her like an actual fellow predator, its instincts only barely held in check by what most likely Ainz's command. And while those like Albedo or Shalltear definitely felt monstrous beneath the surface, Cocytus felt much like a rumbling furnace within and without—no soft, delicate curves to deceive. He was as he appeared, and in a sense that straightforward nature was intimidating enough.

"LADY CLEMENTINE?"

"Y—" she cleared her throat. "Yes?"

"ARE. YOU. ALRIGHT? YOU. DID. NOT ANSWER."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. For fuck's sakes, why was she feeling so scared from this guy? Albedo had threatened her (and a few others) with death only a few days ago, and she felt nothing. "You really don't have to worry about it."

"BUT. I. MUST. WORRY!" the creature said, in what appeared to be an exclamation of sorts. "FOR. YOU. HAVE. BEEN. CHOSEN. BY. THE. MASTER. TO. CONTINUE. HIS. EXALTED. LEGACY!" Cocytus tapped his chest, making a sound like ice crackling.

"Oh, and is that why you're pretty much falling over your feet?" Clementine asked. Now that she was in his presence, he actually didn't seem that bad anymore. He seemed a simple enough creature, like a loyal puppy. Well, it was a puppy with razor-sharp armor, six arms and a warrior's presence dwarfing over even those she knew in the Scriptures—so he was still fucking intimidating up close.

"WE. HAVE. BEEN GIVEN. A SACRED TASK! TO PROTECT. THE MOTHERS. AT THE COST. OF OUR LIVES. THAT. IS. OUR. MISSION."

She crossed her arms. "I see… And all this because of Ainz, huh? Oh, sorry. 'Ainz-sama'."

"BUT. OF. COURSE! HE. IS. THE. LIFE. OF GLORIOUS. NAZARICK. ITSELF! WITHOUT. HIM. WE. ARE. NOTHING." At this Cocytus shook his great head, as if there were unseen gnats flying around there he was shaking off.

"So that's why you're so damned loyal huh? Figures."

"HE. IS. GREATEST. OF. THE. SUPREME! GRANDMASTER. OF. DECEPTION. AND. OVERSEER. OF. SCHEMES. WE. OWE. OUR. LIVES. TO. HIM. WITHOUT. HIM. WE. ARE. NOTHING." He repeated himself, as if he were trying to convince somebody of its truth.

"Let me ask you this, then. Are you loyal enough to kill yourself if he asked?"

"MOST. ASSUREDLY! I. WOULD. NOT. PROTEST. IF. HE. ASKED. SUCH. OF. ME. FOR I KNOW. THAT IT. WILL BE. BUT A MERE. FACET. OF. HIS. PLANS. MY DEATH. WILL SERVE. A GREATER. PURPOSE."

They really seemed much like fanatics in a cult. She had also encountered many like him before. Usually they were blinded by a vision, or a particular devotion to this or that god. In here, it was devotion to one person in particular—a powerful being at that—but still just a simple man.

A strong, capable man. One fully able to grant her peace and security, if she needed it. No more hunting in the mud, and in the dirt, no more enduring the cold and the heat, no more of selling off her body for a value worth less than a horse's ass.

Just…

"Fuck." She muttered, putting her hand over her forehead.

"LADY CLEMENTINE? ARE. YOU. UNWELL?"

"No…" she said, waving him off dismissively. She sighed, and looked up at him. Yes, he certainly seemed like more of an earnest puppy. "But I gotta say, I've been wrestling with this strange feeling in the pit of my soul for a while now. And I don't fucking know what it is."

"OH? THEN. WE MUST. GET YOU. TO THE HEALERS. IMMEDIATELY!"

"No, I don't think it's anything they can really fix," Clementine said, with a shake of her head.

"THEN. PERHAPS. THE. MASTER."

"Ainz?"

"HE. KNOWS. ALL. LORD. OF. WISDOM."

Clementine chuckled. She was about ready to refute that before she thought better of it. "That… doesn't seem like a bad idea, honestly." She did want to see Ainz again, though she really didn't have an exact reason in mind. It was strange, but that was perhaps the influence of her pregnancy. "Know where I can find him?"

"I. HAVE. JUST. COME. FROM. REPORTING. PERSONALLY. TO HIM."

"The office, huh?" That was fairly near. She could have probably found him there without Cocytus. Still, she was grateful to the massive giant. At least, he made for interesting conversation. "Well, I'll be heading to him now. Thanks."

"ANYTHING. FOR. YOU. LADY CLEMENTINE."

She was about to pass the taller creature when she stopped and looked back at him. "They say you're some sort of warrior, right? The best in here?"

"I. CANNOT. CLAIM. THE. MANTLE. OF STRONGEST. BUT. I. AM PROUD. TO BEAR. THE TITLE. OF WARRIOR. AS MY CREATOR. WILLED."

"Yeah, okay. So, could I count on you to take care of them, then?" she rubbed the belly where her twins grew. "After they've grown a bit of course. Get a little muscle in them first. It would be very nice to have a seasoned warrior like you as their tutor of sorts. What do you think?"

For a moment, Cocytus said nothing. Then he made a quick bow, and replied in a voice that seemed strange, like ice floes melting in spring.

"I. WOULD. BE. HONORED. LADY CLEMENTINE."

"Well, I'll hold you to it," she said in a sing-song voice, turning around to resume her steps. "See ya around."

Upon arriving at Ainz Ooal Gown's office, she heard raised voices from behind the door. She perked her ears to listen closely, while the servants on watch cocked their heads at her quizzically.

"…absolutely unreasonable! I've only been here for five minutes!" came the first voice.

"And five minutes is already more than enough!" said another voice.

"And you took thirty! So shut up and just sit down quietly over there. You did give a promise. Right Ainz-sama?" said the first voice.

"Ainz-sama!" said the second voice.

"Well… Albedo, Zesshi has a point. You sat on my lap for thirty minutes. It's only fair she gets the same treatment." came the deep, unmistakable voice of Ainz Ooal Gown.

"But Ainz-sama, she shouldn't be acting like such a… such a…"

"Such a what? Pray tell? Fufufu…"

"Acting so impudently, like some wanton bitch!"

"And who was the one who was acting all flirty-flirty with Ainz-sama just now…?"

Having heard enough, Clementine signaled to the servants that she wished to enter. One of them bowed and opened the door, allowing her access.

When she entered, Clementine was treated to a quite curious sight. There was Ainz sitting behind the desk, his eyes gazing down upon the many sheets of paper scattered on the surface. Of course, that wasn't the first thing her eyes saw.

No, her eyes instantly comprehended the fact that Zesshi was sitting right on Ainz's lap, perched precariously on one of bent thighs, and leaning her back against his body like he was a chair. Ainz's hand was placed lightly on the woman's belly, which had grown to almost double the rest of her body. Zesshi wore an expression of complete and utter contentment, as if no other seat in the world was more suited for her than here.

To Clementine, that image of a woman sitting contentedly on top of Ainz's lap felt wrong, somehow. Unnatural. She shook her head and averted her gaze. She thrust that feeling aside, deeming it unnecessary and irrelevant.

Off to the side, there was Albedo, sitting on a perfectly normal, ordinary chair. Now she didn't look at all pleased, and Clementine caught her at the exact moment she flashed a glare towards the woman sitting on Ainz's lap.

She took that all in within the first moment she arrived. As the eyes in the room turned towards her, anything she wanted to ask about before the door opened completely slipped her mind. She was left standing speechless, while she stared at Ainz for a good, long while.

"Um… What's your business, Clementine?"

She looked from him, to Zesshi, then back to him. She blinked once.

"I'd like to ask you a favor," she said. "Could you maybe take me outside?"

---

Ainz blinked at her. He could tell that the other two had also turned to look at the woman who had just said those words.

As he was too surprised to hear this from Clementine, it was Albedo who answered first. "What are you talking about, human? This is not the right place to be asking that sort of thing! You have to relay the request properly. First, to the maids, then to me, then I bring it to Ainz-sama. That's the proper order of things!"

Clementine made a face. "Sounds pretty inconvenient if you ask me. I like my way better."

"You impudent human—" Albedo began.

"Well, this is interesting," Zesshi said next, interrupting the Overseer. "I'd never thought you would come here to make that sort of request, Clementine." The blonde shot her an inscrutable look, though he couldn't see Zesshi's reaction to it. He only heard her giggle once, as if she was amused by something. "May I ask for a particular reason why?"

"I don't see why I should," Clementine drawled. "It's none of your business."

"You little…"

Zesshi laughed again. "Oh, but you'll still be answering Ainz-sama here, since he'll be asking the very same question. Right Ainz-sama?" Before he could respond to that, Zesshi continued, "So why not cut out the delay and just lay it all out before us right now."

Clementine huffed. "No thank you. I'd rather…" she cleared her throat, and turned to look right at him again. "I'll explain later if you want."

Ainz sighed. At the moment he felt rather conflicted.

It had only been about three weeks since Neia had arrived at Nazarick. Barring their initial honeymoon days, he felt as if he hadn't really been able to spend time with her ever since that time. There had been far too many matters occupying his attention. And of course, he still had to attend to his other mothers, who would also merit his attention.

As such, he had been entertaining the thought that starting today he should try to focus his time more on Neia. Unlike the others who had been brought into Nazarick, she was actually a lot more impressionable and vulnerable to the many new things she was experiencing. He got the feeling that if he left things as they were, he'd lose Neia in some way, particularly if he got more and more to add to his side. He had to ensure she had settled in well.

Still, Clementine's request was a great surprise. It had truly not been something he had expected her to make, and judging by what the two other women said, they had also not expected it. This was why he was left generally conflicted—on the one hand he was curious about the change and therefore intended to get to the bottom of it. On the other hand, he could always put her off for another time, as he had plenty of reasons to justify it.

He clucked his tongue. Time. That really was the one resource over which he had little control.

"Fine," he said. "But let's do it now. Right now, I mean."

The sound of many exclamations followed his proclamation, though each for entirely different reasons. To start, there was Zesshi who immediately voiced her protest as she squirmed over his leg to look back at him. He deftly held her upright, ensuring she wouldn't accidentally fall.

"Ainz-sama!" she said. "It hasn't even been thirty minutes yet! I still want to spend time here with you!" The words were delivered with such plaintive emotion that he found it hard to refuse. As such, he said no words of apology or comfort, and instead answered by giving her a quick, impromptu tongue kiss. He felt Zesshi's body relax against him as their tongues lapped lazily against each other; and by the end of it she was clinging to him tight, her expression slack and listless.

"When I return, I'll give you more time," he promised. Now that was another one of his wives he had to manage. Still, this was his responsibility, and he intended to keep his word, no matter what.

"Ainz-sama…"

Next it was Albedo's turn.

"Ainz-sama!" she said, in a voice filled with great emotion. "Surely you can't mean to let this wretch have her way? This is most unusual! We still have plenty of work to go through, after all."

"Surely you can take over, right Albedo?" he asked. "I have great confidence in your abilities. Unless I am mistaken..?"

Albedo's expression crumpled. "I—er—Ah—no, that is to say, of course you may rely on me, my lord, but—" She gestured helplessly towards Clementine. "You can't mean to… to accept her request?"

He stared at her for a few moments before he looked down. "It is my will," he said simply.

What he'd said seemed to have struck a chord with Albedo, as her cream-skinned face turned a shade paler. "Of course, my lord. My deepest apologies. I shall of course complete the handling of the work in swift manner."

Even Zesshi was looking at him strangely. "Zesshi, I want you to assist her."

"Uhhh… Wait what? Ainz-sama?" she said.

"And try not to needle her so much," he said, gently lifting her up from his lap. "I do not want arguments in place of work." He looked between Zesshi and Albedo. "I want this work done, soon. Got it?"

"Y-yes," they said in unison.

"When I'm done with Clementine, I shall return to fetch you Zesshi," he continued. "Then, perhaps I shall reward you Albedo. Depending on how the work went."

"Yes, my lord! I shall do my best!" Albedo said.

He shrugged and stood. He nodded towards Clementine, who had hitherto remained completely silent. "Well, no time like the present. Let's go." As soon as they left the room, he could clearly hear the sounds of an argument start up behind him. Ainz stopped and sighed. Clementine looked at him expectantly.

"It's nothing," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let's keep going."

When they came to a place that was relatively far from the office where there was no one else around, Ainz finally then turned to Clementine.

"Before we begin, I'd just like to preface by saying I won't have sex with you."

She stared long at him before blinking. "…Huhhh?"

"If that is what you were expecting then I am very sorry to disappoint," Ainz said, scratching the back of his neck. He was already getting quite concerned about missing opportunities to be with his lovers thanks to a variety of work-related reasons. There were many reasons for that—one of it had been to try to ensure that Calca and Kelart had been impregnated.

It was only just last week he had been able to manage it with Calca, long after he had begun breeding her. The healers had reported that the signs had been correctly interpreted, and that new life had bloomed in her womb. That had been something to celebrate, but that still left Kelart as the odd one out. It was still therefore important that he find ways to maximize his chances of impregnating her, while also taking care to satisfy his other lovers as well.

He was glad that Neia got knocked up on the very first chance. He'd been a little concerned that she would be just like the duo after she'd arrived.

"To explain, we have been a bit behind with regards to work. Therefore, any impromptu 'sex' will have to be curbed for now. If you want it, you will have to wait your turn on the scheduled days."

"I…" Clementine spluttered, with a real red blush on her face. She took a deep breath. "That's not why I'm here!" she exclaimed. "Where the hell did you get that stupid, idiotic idea, I swear—"

Ainz shrugged at her reaction. "Alright then. So, you mentioned you wanted to go out. Where—and more importantly—why?"

She took a deep breath, and composed herself. "I heard you took Keeno out to E-Rantel. Well, I want to go there, too." She tilted her head to the side. "More exactly, I wanna go to the place where we first met."

Clementine hardly needed to clarify for Ainz to realize her meaning. Their first meeting was undoubtedly the place where they had met as enemies—where they'd had their first, and perhaps last, battle.

"Back to there?" he mused, rubbing his chin. "But why?" he wondered. "Do you wish to—" he stopped himself. Did she wish to fight, or have a spar or something? He frowned and looked back down at her. "I assume this will involve nothing overly strenuous. I know we keep repeating it, but you do have your condition."

To his surprise, Clementine barked a laugh. "What, you thought I wanted to go there to re-enact our duel?" She licked her lips lasciviously. "Much as I'm interested, it's kind of boring when I know you're way out of my league. And I think it'd be boring for you too, like playing sticks with a child. Nah, if there's any sort of 'duel' it'll be our customary mating dance, not with steel or magic." She shrugged. "Which of course we will not be doing there, because of what you just said about the schedule and all that crap. But I do want to return there. Can you grant me that?"

"Hum…" Ainz gave it a little more thought. Even if she explained her reasoning it was still very strange for her to ask this sort of favor. Of course, he couldn't just refuse outright, without presenting a reason. He had, after all, been granting all sorts of favors already—from Keeno to Neia (who'd asked a lot of favors). If he refused her for no good reason, then she'd feel put off, which was not something he wanted any of his lovers to feel.

"Well, alright," he said with a shrug. He snapped his fingers, and a Gate opened. "I hope you'll forgive me if we don't teleport there directly. I have my reasons." Those reasons being primarily Demiurge or Albedo breathing down his neck again for violating his promise to always keep Nazarick appraised whenever he had any reason to go out. This time, he would leave using the proper channels.

The two of them stepped through the Gate. What waited on the other side was a carriage harnessed to a pair of Soul Eaters. They were a few miles out from Carne Village, on a small outpost hidden away from human eyes. Several minions saluted Ainz as he ushered Clementine into the carriage. They were not there to watch over the Eaters, for they were dangerous creatures in their own right. But a watch had to be maintained regardless.

They got settled inside the spacious carriage. After giving a signal, the Soul Eaters began their swift journey, taking them both by the long road to E-Rantel. Thanks to the enchantments inside the carriage, it was literally floating in the air behind the Soul Eaters, allowing no road bump or rock to disturb their travel. Technically, the carriage was big enough to accommodate sex, but Ainz didn't succumb to the temptation.

The sun had climbed to its noontime position by the time they reached the city. The gate guards gave them no challenge, as they all recognized the clear authority his personal carriage entailed. He commanded the Soul Eaters to continue forward, past the throng of curious people who saw and recognized the official carriage of the one who ruled the Sorcerous Kingdom.

"Let's go," he said, summoning another Gate right inside the carriage. Then he and Clementine stepped through it to their ultimate destination—the graveyard of E-Rantel.

Ainz and Clementine looked around as the Gate closed behind them. He saw that nothing much had changed since their last meeting here. Admittedly, he hadn't gotten a close look at the place—since they'd fought at night-time, and the whole series of events had passed in a quick flurry. Still, it was all just as he expected—a desolate area sandwiched between several districts, where the regular traffic of people passed it on all sides. If anyone noticed the strange pair standing in the middle of it, they nonetheless kept their distance.

"Now this is pretty nostalgic. Tickles the memory, it does," Clementine remarked. She went to sat on top of the nearest headstone, and crossed her arms. She pointed. "Ain't that the very place we clashed?"

"I'm not sure," Ainz said, glancing over. "It looks a bit too cramped. And I remember you were moving a lot." He spied a glance at her rump. "You still do, come to think of it."

Noticing his attention, she gyrated her hips in a flashy manner. "Admit it. You spared me from death because of this magnificent ass."

"I will not deny that they were… noteworthy," Ainz said. At the time, though, he was still desperately holding himself back—with mixed results.

"Well, even if you were distracted, that still didn't stop you from kicking my ass. Damn, I wish I was Zesshi. From what I heard, she was the only one who gave you the first signs of trouble, right?"

"I wouldn't say that," Ainz said wryly.

"It's ironic," Clementine said. "Last time we were here we were going for each other's throats. Now…" she gestured to her belly. Now they were expecting twins—fruit of the union between two former enemies.

After a few more moments of silence, Ainz said, "Well, we're here."

---

"Yes…" she said, though she didn't say anything more. She looked down and allowed herself to fall into a thoughtful reverie.

Coming to this graveyard had seemed like such a random, flighty thing to decide. But after actually coming here, after seeing this place under the bright light of day, the strange feeling inside Clementine's gut seemed to move like a living thing. It didn't feel better, but it also didn't quite feel as bad anymore.

Seeing the graveyard made her think of that fateful night, a time when she had just been in her mercurial moods: picking up after a cult and its leader, and engaging in dark designs. Dale had just been another pack of gold, and a means to amuse herself. If she were able to ambush some unlucky adventurers, that was already a big bonus. And she had acquired her share that night, though she never realized that in doing so it would change her fate in such a drastic way. Those adventurers she'd slaughtered had been people Ainz had known, and his involvement had led him to the cult, and to her.

Just that small, insignificant job led from here to the dungeons beneath Nazarick, and then on to the debauched halls; and from there to the Mother's Hall, of which she was privileged to enter—as a mother to Ainz Ooal Gown's children.

Thinking of Ainz invariably made her think of the first time they'd met. A great, towering, lumbering idiot in armor, whom she thought to be yet another rookie, ready to be gelded. She'd encountered many an oaf who thought their armor adequate protection from her blades—she'd made their medals sing underneath her cloak for every step she took.

But this Ainz had been different from the rest of the lot. He was powerful, far more powerful than he had any right to be. Looking back at the encounter, there should have been a very small chance of her survival. She should have been obliterated; her life cut mercifully short on that desolate graveyard.

That she had still ended up surviving was yet another testament to fate. That same fate had decreed that she survive that night. To force her paths to cross against Ainz Ooal Gown's—for whatever unfathomable purpose.

She gave her twins a little pat. She felt them move, as if acknowledging their mother's touch.

Nowadays—on this very moment even—thinking about Ainz always put her in a strange sort of mood. It made her queasy, and she knew it wasn't something from her pregnancy.

"Clementine?" His voice stirred her from her thoughts. She looked at him. He stared back, looking puzzled.

Ainz Ooal Gown. Truly, remarkably mysterious. What a man, if he even was one.

Then she was surprised to find her eyesight blurring with tears. Her shoulders started shaking, before she then started to descend into a full-blown sob.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Ainz asked, extending his hand to pat her shoulder.

She didn't answer, and continued to sob to herself.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

What the hell was happening to her? Well, that wasn't something she could answer herself—that was why she had asked Ainz to come to this place of all things! If she had a ready answer, she would have accepted it and gone on her merry way!

Then, right as she was starting at Ainz's face, the answer had come to her in a great light of epiphany that breached the murkiness of her heart.

The answer had been so simple.

And yet knowing it did not give her any relief. It just opened a new set of unpleasantness. What was there to do other than cry?

I can't fucking believe it!

No, it's not possible!

Stupidly impossible!

She felt him scoop her up in his arms, drawing her close to his body. She felt his warmth spread over her, like a protective cloak, and she felt as if her tears were being absorbed by his sheer presence.

"There, there," he said, without guile. "What's wrong?"

Shit. Am I really…? She looked up at him, and didn't even attempt to brush the snot from her face. For this guy?

And just like that, she laughed while she cried, an ugly, squelching sound that did not sound cute at all. But she didn't fucking care.

"… The hell is going on?" she heard Ainz say.

"It's nothing…" she said, her voice muffled. "Some really annoying… pregnancy urges…"

"… Uhuh…" She could tell that Ainz wasn't convinced, but she didn't much care at the moment. For when she noticed that Ainz was still holding her, she threw her arms around Ainz, and clung on like some bothersome leech. She tried to squeeze him as hard as she could manage, in order to impart on him some measure of pain. To make him feel even half of what she was herself feeling at the moment.

She then realized that she was sitting in almost the exact same way as Zesshi had, just that morning. She grinned, another peal of laughter coming out of her throat.

Had that feeling upon seeing Zesshi perched upon his lap been jealousy of all things? She, the unfeeling, bloodthirsty femme, thirsting no more for the exultation of a good kill, but for a man?

Maybe it was the damned hormones speaking.

---

Ainz had never expected this day to involve him hugging and comforting a woman bawling her eyes out. Especially when that woman was Clementine, a person that no one, least of all him, would ever expect to cry. He wondered if it really was a pregnancy sickness as she claimed. If so, that meant that he should reasonably expect something like this from the others.

It took a while, but Clementine's tears did stop. Though she never once moved from her position on top of his lap, claiming the spot that should have been Zesshi's from earlier. Clementine looked like she was perfectly content to stay there. Ainz indulged her in this, seeing no other solution to a woman crying in his arms.

"How much?" she suddenly asked.

"Eh?" he cocked his head. "What do you mean by that?"

Clementine sniffed. Her eyes were still red around the rims. "How much sex will be needed for you to keep quiet about his?"

"About—" When he realized what she was alluding to, he made a loud guffaw. "You're worried about that?"

"By the sound of your laughter, you must be thinking something really funny in your head, huh boss man?"

"Hehe… Sorry. I never really expected this question." He shook his head. "This is a privilege that I extend to all my lovers. If they have anything to request of me—and if it is within reason, then I shall certainly grant it. So… have no fear. You don't need to 'pay' me." He smiled wryly. "This is… there is to be no 'transaction'."

"Hmph. Well I'll gladly take you up on that offer," she said. "A shame. I was thinking I'd have to bust out my most secret techniques to make it up to you."

He quirked a brow. He leaned down, so they were eye to eye. His hand hovered over her belly. "Clementine, you have no secret techniques. If you had, you would have already used them for the many times I 'beat' you—or did you already forget that little shameful fact?"

"That's because you were gracious enough to do all the work!" she said, rolling her eyes. "Why would I need to do anything if I can already get all the mindblowing sex I want? You've pleased me a lot—and that of course does not mean you know everything about my techniques yet."

"Well well," he said in a whisper. "Let's forget the matter of payment for now… How soon may I expect to experience these secret techniques? Will you indulge me?"

"I thought you said no 'frivolous' sex?"

"I can bend the rules whenever and however I wish," he said, with a growl as he planted a kiss on her hand. Her face flushed red.

"Nah…" she said. "On second thought, you'll need to work extra hard for that."

"I'll keep that in mind, though—" he brushed his hand against her nape, causing her to shudder. "Now that I know you've got something in reserve, I've got some ideas now for our next time together."

"What?"

"I'll make it so you will need to use those so-called techniques—if you want to win. So look forward to it."

She snorted. "We'll see about that." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "And isn't the next time another orgy anyway? How will you even have the chance?"

"All the better," he said with a grin. "I'll have the others help with softening you up—without them even knowing." Something in her face told him that the suggestion had given her something to think about. It was as if she realized that she would indeed buckle under an assault. He cast his memory towards the upcoming schedule, and retrieved several names who were to accompany Clementine on the next orgy.

"There's Shalltear, of course. And Zesshi. They're masters in their own right. Solution Epsilon might also have some ideas. And let's not forget Calca—she does have a range of her own 'techniques', as I'm now realizing. Under their combined techniques you'll be folding very quickly, my dear."

"We'll see about that," she muttered with a huff, though she didn't seem all that displeased.

He found it strange that she of all people was talking to him like this. It was rather… refreshing. Where Keeno seemed like the best version of a devoted wife, and where Zesshi was the bossy, superior wife, Clementine fitted the description of a casual "sex friend" best. She'd made it clear several times that she didn't "love" him like the others, even if she did like all the sex they'd been having.

Consequently, there was something about today that might be different now—though he couldn't be sure. Cuddling here in the middle of graveyard was now more of the definition of him hanging out and flirting with a girlfriend possessing strange tastes.

"By the way," she said. "When the twins are born, you don't mind them getting tutored by your man Cocytus?"

"Tutored?" Ainz repeated, blinking. "That's… well you do know they'll still be babies for quite a while, right?"

"I know that, duh!" Clementine said, looking at him as if he were stupid. "I obviously mean when they're old enough to hold a stick. You can be so dumb sometimes."

Ainz sucked in a breath. "In that case, I really have no objections. The thing is, I do already have the same thing in mind for the rest of them, not just our twins."

It had been something he had been planning on the side for a while now. While getting giddy over the prospect of having children was one thing, it was also prudent to be planning for what came after. More baby-making sex was part of the picture, but so was caring for the children that were born. Any child who was born from him would not want for anything.

Their education had been a major part of Ainz's considerations. After all, he wasn't sure if they would be born as "level 1" or if they would inherit his strength in some way, as these so-called "Godkin" did. He knew Zesshi's triplets might have extraordinary potential, being descended from various Players including him. But there was no guarantee how anything did work, so he had to assume the worst. And that meant going forward with the knowledge that his children would have to "level up" as they grew up, in order to survive. And he had the solemn responsibility of ensuring that they would survive. They had to.

He'd already had the same idea as Clementine to have Cocytus teach them about fighting. Other than that, there were other teachers whom he would rely on—though most of them wouldn't be any of the Guardians. For example, the librarians would do well as strict taskmasters who would ensure the discipline of his children. They could also impart their wisdom of magic to those who were similarly inclined. He knew he couldn't be the one to impart his spells by lecturing and the like. (Though he was trying to see if he could somehow "gift" his knowledge as he was doing with Fluder)

Another consideration was if his children would still need to actually get a class, or if it was chosen for them from the start. Having never experienced "growing" in this world properly himself, he still had no idea how people like Clementine got strong. He knew some sort of experience was in play, but did she have the potential within herself all along? What differentiated her from Neia, putting aside their respective backgrounds, and how would it relate to his children being born?

There were also other post-birth situations he was considering. For example, the one major event he was planning was a visit to the Elf Kingdom using a disguised entourage including Zesshi Zetsumei and the dark elf twins. It would be in part an investigative mission as well as a preliminary scouting report. Ainz would see with his own eyes if Nazarick should intervene in this years-old war and end it once and for all. He knew that "Momon" had already been receiving letters from the Theocracy, wondering if he would now be able to contribute his skills to the war front, though not in too obvious a manner.

Zesshi didn't know of his plans, and for now he wouldn't tell her just yet. He knew of her complex feelings towards that place, and he wouldn't dare to upset her in anyway—particularly when she was still at the most important part of her pregnancy. He thought he wouldn't even bring it up after she'd given birth; she needed time to rest and to properly take care of the babes as a mother should.

When he got to that particular thought, he turned back to Clementine. "But speaking of that, are you not going to train the twins if it came to it?"

"Oh, naturally," she said, with a flick of her chin. "But it is obvious that whatever I can offer pales in comparison to what that Cocytus can teach."

"Hmmm… If you say so," Ainz said. He thought that there may still be things that only a mother could teach their kids. But if that's how Clementine felt, then he wouldn't fault her that. And she may yet even change her mind.

They moved on from one topic to another, moving seamlessly like the passing of the tides. Ainz was surprised at this, as he'd never expected to keep up a conversation for this long. Ordinarily he would have cut things short, as he was pressed for time, and there were many matters he had to attend to. For example, the matter of Blue Rose and the mission they were undertaking had required meticulous control, meaning he was receiving surveillance reports on their movements almost constantly. Demiurge had been confident in his briefings that the war would almost certainly be starting, and Ainz needed to direct Nazarick's resources accordingly. It was such an important thing that he should be going back to it immediately.

But he found himself putting it off time and again. He continued to converse with the pregnant Clementine in this graveyard, oblivious to the world around them. Soon enough, he noticed that the sun had descended lower on the horizon, and was now casting rays of sunset orange over the city.

Hours had passed before he'd realized. Ainz blinked, though did not move.

"Something on your mind?" Clementine asked, breaking the silence that had fallen. She was still sitting on his lap. Technically, she had now taken the longest among his lovers to be there.

"Just watching the sun set," he said.

"Oh." She turned her head to look the same way as him. "Huh. Right. Yeah. That's cool."

"Seen this a lot?" he asked.

"Sometimes," she said. "Most jobs I get I need to do at night, so usually I sleep through the day. Sometimes I wake up just before sunset."

"…But you haven't really quite looked at a sunset like this right?"

Clementine shrugged. "Just glimpses. I have to keep moving, keep moving forward."

Ainz smiled. "So you haven't really seen something like this."

She narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, so what? It doesn't really matter. If you're trying to imply something—"

"I haven't." he simply. In his world, sunsets were rare things, only restricted to pictures on the Internet. The real thing was a dream only pursued by the mighty.

She blinked, and stared at him as if she was trying to discern some sort of falsehood from him. He glanced at her.

"So this will be a first for both of us, right?" Then, without hesitation, he drew her head down to his chest. She made a strange sound—a squeaking that he never heard from her, except during sex. After squirming for a bit, she stopped and leaned back, and the two of them continued to stare at the horizon, as the sun went down in a literal blaze of glory. Soon, the last trace of its presence disappeared, giving way to the firmament of night, the stars gleaming on its surface like so many beautiful gems.

"… Beautiful," he said, feeling a surge of emotion inside him. Perhaps this wasn't a complete waste of time. Seeing the slow transition from day to night had been a soul-cleansing experience.

"Huh?" Clementine made yet another uncharacteristic sound. He glanced down and saw her staring at him with a blushing face.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Shut up!"

He quirked a brow and continued his examination of the brilliant night sky.

"This world truly is a wonder," he said. This world's sky remained as glorious as the moment he'd first seen it, on that long-ago day when they'd first arrived here. "I can never get used to it."

"Were you literally raised inside that tomb or something?" Clementine asked. "The sky's been the same fucking thing for at least as long as I'm alive. It's… pretty, aye, but at my age it's kind of just… there. Shouldn't that be the same for you?"

"No…" He drew Clementine closer, as if she were a stuffed animal he was snuggling close to him. The woman didn't seem to mind. "Where I came from, no one could see the sun, nor less the moon, the stars, the entire damned sky." He wondered if the planets were the same here. He wasn't in Earth anymore, that was clear, even if the presence of the Moon indicated they were similar.

"That's…" Clementine looked like she didn't know what to say.

He swung his gaze ever higher. "Let me ask you this. Imagine if you could cast a Fly spell, and fly to the Moon. You think I could manage it?"

Clementine laughed at the apparent absurdity. "The Moon? You're powerful, I admit, but that's the domain of the literal gods, if they even exist. It's way out of your league."

He smiled and said nothing more on the subject. But he did look up, and imagined he was one of those executives allowed to pierce the atmosphere and live up there in outer space; on the moon, on Mars, or on the Jovian colonies. He had always been envious of them, of the fact that birth and circumstance had kept him there on Earth, while they could afford to leave the muck and the dirt behind to live on a space colony. Even the janitors of those places lived better than their kind on Earth.

Perhaps he could manage it in this world. Had no one ever tried? He could conjure a mansion out of thin air, and protect it in a small pocket dimension. He could make it float, and fly, use his spells to achieve some sort of propulsion. Perhaps that could suffice to become a "space-ship", and with it he could live among those stars up there. If he wasn't already committed to his upcoming children, that would have been something he'd aspired to, if the world down below bored him in anyway.

"You alright?" she asked. He blinked, and looked down. She looked worried. "I say something wrong?"

"No." He patted the back of her head. "Don't worry about it."

Suddenly, he received a blaring sound in his mind.

---

She didn't know what to say to him. She had the distinct feeling that she had really said something wrong. It wasn't hard to miss how his face when she told him her thoughts. Years of reading people's faces had made it easy for her to read him, even if he remained as mysterious to her as a closed book.

Here and now there was another change. Ainz's face turned from placid to alert, as he put his fingers to his head. He's receiving a Message, she thought unnecessarily. And judging by the way his brows started to furrow, the way his lips pursed together and his chin set taut, it was clear to see that it was something serious.

"Already?" he practically shouted. He listened to whoever was on the other side answer for a few moments before he clucked his tongue. "Very well. I shall be there soon. Follow the plan. Inform me for any changes." Then he took his fingers away and he breathed out a sigh.

"Emergency?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Yes. We shall need to return to Nazarick now." He looked around, at the graveyard, now darkened by the night. "I assume you've had your fill?"

A small, foolish part of her wanted to be selfish. It wanted her to demand even more from him, like wishing for this excursion to end later. To her shame it was as if she wanted to spend some more time with him.

But she was a master at severing any such rebellious thoughts. She ruthlessly squashed it like a bug, allowing her to nod to him with a wry smile. "It's been fun."

"I'm glad," he said. He patted her belly once more. She looked down, and joined her hands with his. Again, a look of surprise crossed his face. Then he grasped at her hand, squeezing it tight.

This time they did not go the long way using a carriage. Ainz took them into one of the hotels in the city, and into a private room. There, they were able to use a Gate to head back directly into Nazarick.

Once there, she saw the dark elf Mare and the strange insectoid maid Entoma waiting. They bowed to Ainz as soon as he approached. She looked around and saw that they were back in the floor with the Mother's Hall. She was "home", in a sense.

"Welcome back, Ainz-sama," they said in unison.

"Ah, thank you." Ainz turned to the chiffon-wearing maid. "Entoma, please escort Clementine here to the Mother's Hall."

The protest had already made its way to her tongue. "I can—" But Ainz looked at her, and something in his eyes made her falter.

"… Take her as close to the Mother's Hall as possible, and only then may she dismiss you."

"Very well, my lord," the maid said.

Clementine huffed. Even if she did agree to this ridiculous arrangement, she still found it rather insulting to have to need an escort when it wasn't needed.

"Mare," Ainz then said, turning to the dark elf boy. "Inform Albedo that the security level is to be raised to the maximum state until further notice." The surprise on Mare's face was surely mirrored on her own. Even Entoma seemed shocked, despite the mask-like face making it impossible to show any emotion. "Tell everyone that this is not another drill. This is a priority command. Am I clear?"

"Y-yes, master!" Mare said with a stammer. "B-but may I ask: are we under attack?"

"I don't think so," Ainz said. "Nevertheless, the whole place has to act as if an attack will come."

"I understand." Ainz whirled and walked away, and with his long stride he was already far away before Clementine could blink.

"Let us go, Clementine-sama," Entoma said, ushering her forward. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tell her off; this particular maid was one of the few who truly unnerved her, though in a much different way than Cocytus. She was eager to be free of her presence, so Clementine turned on her heel and made her way to the Mother's Hall with a light trot, her thoughts racing at what she had personally witnessed.

She could not see it, but she could personally feel a tension in the air. She passed by Ainz's office and saw that instead of the homunculi maids from before, there were actual monsters now guarding the door. Their visages leered at them as they passed, though that was just an effect of their horrible-looking faces—as they bowed respectfully to Clementine.

She wondered what "security level" meant, but judging by their body language, it was clear enough to guess. It was as if she was in an army camp anticipating an impending battle. Much as the soldiers and warriors gathered there, the denizens of this place were buzzing around like an angered hive. She didn't know what had driven them to this point—but perhaps a little rumormongering would reveal it to her in time.

Soon enough she could see the doors to the Hall in the distance. She turned to the maid and said, "Well, we're close already. You may go."

"But Clementine-sama—"

"No's a no," she said firmly, putting her foot down. "If you're really worried, then watch me from afar. But don't fucking follow me, alright?"

The maid stared at her with those jewel-like eyes. Then she curtsied. "As you wish. Is there anything else you needed?"

"The only thing I want is a stiff drink."

"You're not allowed to drink, Clementine-sama," the maid corrected demurely.

"Of water! Jeez!" Or milk, perhaps. "Just leave me be."

"Okay~"

She left the maid behind as she ambled towards the door. Even here the servants seemed to have been "reinforced", as the typical gentler types had been replaced with fierce-looking creatures, each looking more menacing than the last. Clementine marveled at the speed of their preparations—then again, this was a fantastical tomb with an even more impossible leader at its head. Such things were just as expected.

"Welcome back, Clementine-sama," they said with a murmur as she entered the Mother's Hall.

She took a quick look around. Dinner was now being served at the table, though from the looks of it, it had already been a while. The first person she saw was Narberal Gamma reclining on a seat. She glanced at her once before her eyes slid off, as if she would not deign to acknowledge her presence.

The other person was the woman from before—Zesshi Zetsumei, who had been reclining on a couch while reading some sort of book. Upon sensing her entrance, she looked up and smiled widely. She stood and waddled up to her with her belly and breasts so large that they jiggled with her every step.

"So… the favored child returns," she said snidely.

Clementine ignored her and went to the nearest chair. She felt slightly exhausted. Zesshi followed her and took a seat close to hers.

"Well?" Zesshi asked.

She frowned. "Well, what?"

"How was it?"

She sighed. "And why should I tell you?"

"Come on," Zesshi said. "You know you want to. I know you can't resist a chance to show off about your day with Ainz-sama. You spent a whole damned day out! That's a lot of time! Everyone's curious, me, even Narberal, isn't that right?" They glanced at Nabe, who said and did nothing. "Well, you bet she was. So come, tell me. Did you have sex?"

She really didn't like the way she smiled: so open, so cocksure of herself. It made her want to think of the many ways she could erase it, turn that smile into a bloody gash, pierce those blasted cheeks and make it leak blood. But she knew better. The half-elf could turn her into a smear on the wall when she needed to—all the while carrying that same damned smile.

"We did not have sex," Clementine said. "And for your information, half the day was spent riding that bothersome carriage to E-Rantel."

"And you guys did nothing even remotely scandalous inside?" she asked, with a quirked brow.

"Hey, I wasn't complaining. It's uncomfortable doing it there." Though she wouldn't have said no.

"Well then, what'd you do the rest of the day?"

"We… talked." She didn't want to mention that she practically hogged Ainz's lap for a whole lot more than Zesshi's thirty minutes. Better not to wake that particular dragon.

"Ohhh, you had a date."

She scowled. "If you want to call it that." Something moved in her eye, and she saw Nabe glance her way before she moved her head back.

"Oh, how romantic!" Zesshi exclaimed. "And where was this? On a hilltop overlooking the city? On top of a tall tower? Inside a dimly lit hotel room?"

She snorted. "No, actually. We were in a graveyard."

Zesshi blinked at her, rightfully dumbfounded. "You… what?"

"So again, it wasn't that romantic," Clementine groused. "We just talked of a lot of stupid stuff."

Zesshi made a humming sound, though her face did betray her lingering confusion. She gave Clementine's body a quick appraisal from top to bottom. She leaned forward, and made sniffing sounds.

"The hell you doing?"

"Wanted to see if I could scent the tell-tale smell of dried cum and sweat," Zesshi said. "Plus a bit of your musk—as you no doubt know we're well acquainted with each other. You have a scent like no other"

"Ugh.." Clementine made a face. "What are you some kind of mutt?"

Zesshi stopped sniffing. A look of surprise came to her. "It doesn't look like anything did happen," she said, with wide, unbelieving eyes.

"That's what I've been saying!" Clementine snarled. "So I'd really appreciate if you fucked right off. I'm getting tired of your needling." She turned to face away from her on the cushion. She closed her eyes.

"Well, I'll be asking you later then. And I will be having that answer—in exquisite detail."

"Fuck off."

Stupid Ainz. Making her emotional and shit.

Making her feel like a maiden in love and shit.

Fuck!

She wondered what her brother would say, if she saw him. Aside from the abject shock at seeing her pregnant, he might also question the fact that she had fallen in love at all.

"Fuck," she muttered, her eyes drooping shut. In her mind's eye she saw a glorious sunset. She dreamed of the Moon, and imagined herself walking on its surface, which was soft like cheese. She looked around and there was Ainz Ooal Gown, tall and strong and handsome. He smiled at her. It was the most beautiful thing to see.

---

"My lord, we have an urgent situation! Our scouts have identified the culprit behind the surveillance of Zesshi-sama's duplicate!"

That had been the message that had him running back to Nazarick. As a precaution, he had raised Nazarick's alert status, to ensure that all of its minions inside and outside were prepared for anything.

After he had deposited Clementine with Entoma, he had been in constant contact with Demiurge regarding any updates to the situation. The plan had always been to execute a swift kidnapping operation once the culprit had been found. This operation had been approved by Ainz the moment he'd been informed, and then it only remained to wait anxiously for tidings of success. Well, he hoped it was a success—if the culprit managed somehow to escape, it was going to make things rather difficult.

After a certain amount of time, Demiurge hit him with another Message. The operation had been a success.

Ainz trudged through the snow of the fifth floor, the area delegated for prisoners and other persons of interest from whom Nazarick required information. He was struck with the idea that Clementine had been here before, a long time ago. Then his mind went to her just this past day, and he smiled, despite the tense situation.

He presently arrived at the entrance to the interrogation rooms. Demiurge was there, standing just beyond the entrance, his impeccable clothes and mien unruffled by the raging blizzard that brewed outside. Even the snow that Ainz brought with him once he'd entered seemed to hesitate to land on his body.

"Report," Ainz said. "Start from the beginning."

"Yes, my lord." He adjusted his glasses. "Less than an hour ago, our scouts reported that yet another divination attempt had been made on Zesshi Zetsumei's doppelganger. As before, they attempted to perform a counter-divination in as discreet a way as possible."

Since Ainz had been made aware that there was a voyeur (or voyeurs) keeping watch over Zesshi there had already been many subsequent attempts; along with many attempts at divining the culprit. However, the minions had limited power or ability, and failed to find the culprit as needed for the exact same times. It had gone to the point that Albedo had started suggesting that Ainz be on hand to perform his own magic, but he didn't have that luxury. He had the ability, but he was unsure of its efficacy, as he was more used to shrouding in illusion than piercing through them. And of course he didn't want to seem weak to their eyes.

"That's good."

"After finding the location, the scouts promptly reported to their handlers, who passed it up to me," Demiurge continued. "I then reported to you, Lord Ainz, as you recall, where I requested permission to execute the operation."

"Were there any difficulties with that part?" Ainz asked.

"Not at all," Demiurge said with a confident sneer. "I personally took to the field to oversee the situation. A watch had been set on the culprit, and I brought with me a doppelganger ready for him. It was fortunate that it was operating independently—it was alone and thus, easy to kidnap."

Ainz filed that fact away and nodded, gesturing for Demiurge to continue. "Then, after verifying the pieces of information I ordered the execution of the operation, whereupon it began and ended with great success. The culprit has been successfully captured, and his duplicate has received his briefing." He hesitated. "Although, my pardons, Lord Ainz, but we are still unsure if we can accurately simulate the culprit before it falls under scrutiny. We have not yet had time to observe and catalogue the facts surrounding it."

"It's alright," Ainz said. "I have confidence we can just extract that information from the culprit itself once I'm done with it."

"As you say, my lord."

"That being the case, let's have a look at this one, eh?"

"Very good, my lord. Please follow me."

They went down into the depths of the structure, past Neuronist Painkiller's rooms, where she was busy "gearing up" for their new capture's interrogation.

They arrived at the room, and inside Ainz saw him. It was a young man, dressed in ornate armor, bound tight by numerous chains and seals. His hair was black and his face was unmistakably exotic—to Ainz it reminded him so much of an Yggdrasil face. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a Godkin similar to Zesshi Zetsumei. Even the armor would not have looked out of place inside the average player's inventory.

The man saw them arrive and glared silently; his mouth was bound and prevented him speaking.

"My lord, may I introduce you to the so-called captain of the Black Scripture."

---

Chapter commissioned by UltraSpink of Da USA, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on archiveofourown under "RHoldhous".